Automatic gun



Jan. 12, 1937. F. HERLACH E-r AL AUTOMATIC GUN Filed Oct. 16, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 12, 1937. F. HERLACH r AL 2,067,322

AUTOMATIC GUN Filed oct. 1e, 1954 2 sheets-sheet 2 gmc/who@ He/ZacL and Theodor' Rav/fuga 3M/7"@ Snot/M4 Patented Jan. 1.2, 1937 N UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AU'roMA'rlo GUN ration of Switzerland Application October 16, 1934, Serial No. 748,555

In Germany February 23. 1934 y 5 Claims. (Cl. 89-3) In order to render accessible the inner parts of automatic guns, particularly the barrel and breech system, for the purpose of inspection or for changing parts, such guns are generally provided with housing wall members which are hinged or are otherwise removable. In guns having a single spring serving simultaneously as running-out mechanism for the barrel and breech, this spring was heretofore so mounted in a hinged housing cover that on swinging open the cover the spring was disengaged from the sliding members and did not prevent them from being dismounted.

In large calibre machine guns however the running-out mechanism is arranged almost entirely separately and it is not possible to use directly the known expedient of opening a portion of the wall together with the running-out mechanism, since there are means disengaging and engaging the latter with the recoiling parts of 4the gun.

According to the present invention, in auto- 4 l matic guns having a sliding barrel, a longitudimovable cover-like part of the housing.

Thus also in the case of guns with separate running-out devices, for the breech and barrel, it is possible, as in guns with a single spring common to the ,barrel and the breech, by the mere opening of a single part of the housing wall, to bring the barrel and breech system out of cooperation with all the running-out mechanism.

Further, if the gun includes further parts in the housing co-operating and engaging with the barrel-breech system, particularly for example a propelling member for accelerating the backward movement of the breech blockA relatively to the barrel, a control device for bolting the barrel and breech together, and a barrel securing member, according to the invention these members can also be accommodated together with the barrel and (or) breech-running out mechanism in a part of the housing wall adapted to be opened, and by the opening of which they are rendered capable of being disengaged from the barrelbreech system. Conversely, the closing of the housing brings al1 its members automatically back into the necessary operative connection with the Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal section with the gun housing open.

The gun houslngi accommodates in known manner the slidably mounted barrel b and the longitudinally displaceable breech block d adapt- 5 ed to be bolted to the barrel by a rotatable ring c in the barrel casing b1. The barrel b is connected by a bayonet connection with a nut e having an outer thread e1 engaging the barrel casing b1. In order to lock the bayonet connection. the 10 barrel b is prevented from turning by a locking member f, which engages in one of the groovelike recesses between the cooling iins b2.

In a housing cover g hinged about a pin a1, there are mounted the running out members, viz., l5 barrel running out spring bs and the breech closing spring d1. The front end of the barrel running out spring ba acts on the collar h1 of a spring bolt h. displaceably mounted in the cover g, which bolt is provided with a rear, forked head, 20 which engages-when the cover is closed--over a projection b4 on the barrel casing b1. At the rear, the barrel running out spring b3 bears against a buffer device consisting oi a sleeve i, displaceably mounted on the spring bolt h, and a buffer 25 spring Ic which bears against the sleeve i and against the bolt guide bearing gx. The closing spring di for the breech block is mounted in the rear part of the cover g; a displaceable front sleeve d2 acted on by the front end of the sprind d1 en- 30 gages by means of a stud-like projection d: in a corresponding recess in the breech block d. Abutments g2 and g3 on the cover respectively limit the motion of the spring-urged members h1 and dz in such a position that when they are in en- 35 gagement with the corresponding members in the barrel and breech block and these latter 4members are located in their f ront end position in the gun housing, they are pressed backward to a slight extent. For this purpose inclined sur- 40 faces ha, d4 (Fig. 2) are provided on the springurged members h and da. This pretensioning of the barrel running out spring b3 and the closing spring d1 prevents play in the movable parts of the gun.

Besides the barrel running out spring ba and the closing spring d1 there are mounted in the housing cover y, a propelling pawl m which, on the recoil of the barrel-breech system after the unbolting of the breech, is inserted between these 50 parts-in the example illustrated in the gap l for transmitting energy from the barrel to the breech with velocity ratio modied by the leverage of the pawl-a control pin n, which is located near the guide bearing m in the cover, for "256 increasing leverage to the breech block and the movement of the latter accelerated. Thus all parts co-operating with the barrel-breech system are raised from their position of engagement by the mere opening of the cover g.

Also the barrel locking member f thus is disengaged when the cover g is opened about .its

hinge. Means are also provided for enabling the member f to be independently operated by hand. 'I'he member f has a springloaded locking pin, with an external yhandle f1 and the inner end of the member is adapted to be ,raised out of the locking position by turning the handle f1.

The cover g is held fastin the firing position by a sliding sleeve o having a nose o1 which engages under a projection p1 of the shoulder support which forms the rear gun closing member and is adapted to be swung backwards. The sliding sleeve o is secured against turning by a spring catch q, and against axial displacement by a spring-loaded blocking lever r.

In order-to open the cover g, the lever 1' must be swung out of its blocking position and then the slide o by means of the handle portion a is thrust axially forward until its nose 01 has passed away from the projection p1 of the housing closing member p against the influence of the closing spring di. The cover now being openable, the rear gun closing membenp can be swung about pin az so that the barrel breech system, freed from spring Atension by the opened cover and also otherwise unhindered by any part of the gun engaging therein, can be drawn out backwards. After the barrel-breech system has been reinserted in the front of the housing, the gun is made ready for rin/g again by swinging up the shoulder support p and closing the cover g.

We claim:-

L/An automatic gun of the character described zbprising in combination a housing; a barrel and a breech block both longitudinally movable in said housing; separate running-out devices for the barrel and breech block; a single member on the housing for supporting both the runningout devices, said member being movable away and onto thehousing to carry both running-out devices out of and into cooperation with the barrel and breech; and'meansv in said member for accelerating the recoil of the breech block relatively to the barrel the accelerating means also being carried out of and restored to coopera- `tion with the recoiling parts when said member isy moved away from` and returned onto said housing.

2. An automatic gun o1 the character described comprising in combination a housing; a barrel and a breech block both longitudinally movable movable in said housing; separate running-out.

devices for the barrel and breech block; a single member on the housing for supporting both the running-out devices. said member being movable away from and onto the housing to carry both running-out devices out of and into cooperation with the barrel and breech; automatic coupling means between the barrel and the breech said means including a control device mounted in said movable member and. movable therewith into and out of operative position; and means in said member for accelerating the recoil of the breech block relatively to the barrel the accelerating means also being carried out of and restored to cooperation with the recoiling partswhen said member is moved away from and returned onto said housing.

4. An automatic gun of the character described comprising in combination a housing; a barrel and a breech block both longitudinally movable in said housing; separate running-out devices -for the barrel and breech block; a single member on the housing for supporting both the running-out devices, said member being movable away from and onto the housing to carry both running-out devices out of and into cooperation with the barreland breech; automatic coupling means between the barrel and the breech said means including a control device mounted in said movable member and movable therewith into and out of operative position; means in said member for accelerating the recoil of the breech block relatively to the barrel the accelerating means also being carried out of and restored to cooperation with the recoiling parts when said member is moved away from and returned; and abutments in said single member for retaining the running-out devices, when the member is moved away from the housing, in tensioned condition ready to again cooperate with the'barrel and breech block upon returning said'member onto the housing. K

5. An automatic gun of the character described comprising in combination a housing; a barrel and a breech block both longitudinally movable in said housing; separate running-out springs for the barrel and breech block; a cover member hinged to the housing and supporting both the running-out springs, said cover member in open position carrying both running-out springs out of cooperation with the barrel and breech and when closed bringing said springs into cooperation with the barrel and breech; abutments in said cover member for retaining the runningout springs when the cover is open in'tensioned condition ready to again cooperate with the barrel and breech block upon closing the cover; means for relieving the abutments of the reaction of the running-out springs when the cover is closed; means on the cover for accelerating the recoil of the breech block relatively to the barrel, said accelerating means also being carried out of and restored to cooperation with the mounted, said casing recoiiing with the barrel: recoiling parts wheny the cover is opened and and a lock for securing the barrel in the casing. closed; 'automatic coupling means between the said lock being so mounted on the cover that it barrel and the breech block, said means including is carried into and out of operative position when 5` a control device mounted in the cover and movthe cover is opened and closed. 5

able therewith into and out of operative position; FRITZ HERLACH. a barrel casing in which the barrel is movabiy THEODOR RAKULA. 

